Book Title: Atmasiddhi
Author(s): Shrimad Rajchandra, Manu Doshi
Publisher: Manu Doshi

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Page 45
________________ What makes the worldly soul wander? It is mainly due to absence of right thinking. The worldly soul has always identified itself with the embodiment that it gets from time to time. That is its delusion, which pertains to perception as well as behavior. When one gets guidance from a true Guru, he can make out that his true nature is different from all sorts of worldly aspects. That enables him to ponder over the true nature of soul and its potential to attain total purity. Thereby he overcomes the perception related delusion and gains the right perception. In Jain terminology that is called Samyag Darshan. At that stage the aspirant gets the glimpse of bliss, which is inherent within the soul. Once he reaches that stage, his thinking, interest, attitude etc. undergo radical change. He starts losing attachment for every worldly aspect and tries to remain tuned to soul. He also tries to observe restraints so as to overcome the defiling instincts and gains internal purity to an ever increasing extent. One generally stays with the delusion due to the ignorance about his true nature. As the perception becomes purer, he realizes that the deluded behavior is not his nature. Some delusion may prevail on account of the previous Karma, but he tries to overcome the same by vigilantly and repeatedly pondering over the nature of soul. Eventually he succeeds in overcoming the behavior-related delusion also. Therefore the stanza states that the delusion is destroyed by virtue of enlightenment. Thereby one reaches the delusion-free state. The remaining obscuring and obstructing Karmas are destroyed at that stage and one attains the state of omniscience. That state continues to prevail in that lifetime. At the end he rises to the state of liberation, which is mentioned here as Nirvän. Upaje Te Suvichäranä, Mokshamärga Samajäy; Gurushishya Samvädathi, Bhäkhun Shatpad Änhi The path of liberation can be comprehended with the emergence of right thinking; the six Fundamentals relating to that path are laid hereunder in the form of dialogue between the preceptor and the pupil. (42) Explanation & Discussion: This is the concluding stanza of this chapter. The reader might have noticed that all the phases of spiritual pursuit have been briefly described in this chapter. Emergence of right thinking is the most crucial phase. Its importance has been stressed by Shrimad (Vachanamrut # 569) in the following words. "Self-realization is the only way to get rid of all types of misery and unhappiness. Selfrealization cannot arise without thinking; and it is doubtless that thinking ability of the worldly soul has been hampered due to the unwholesome contacts and unwholesome conditions." When one gets the the guidance from a true Guru, he shrugs off the indolence and earnestly strives to get on the path of liberation. Shrimad knows that the pupil is a genuine truth seeker. He is therefore willing to show the path. But he thinks that instead of directly describing the path, it would be better to show it in the form of a dialogue between a pupil and a preceptor. That pattern enables one to anticipate the problems and doubts arising to the spiritual aspirants and to give satisfying answers. That also creates interest among truth

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